Description:
This paper has the politically defined mandate of higher education as its starting point to highlight and discuss contemporary challenges in relation to its normative dimension that are illustrated by examples from Norwegian higher education. A central question in the first part of the paper is whether there has been a change in the public understanding of the normative responsibility of higher education. Is there a move towards an understanding of the main responsibility of higher education as that of providing society with technical expertise and professionals who give precedence to financial interests, entrepreneurial and innovative ideas − at the expense of moral and civic values? In the second part of the paper, it is argued that greater awareness of the normative dimension of higher education is called for – here illustrated with the case of educating for professional responsibility. It is suggested that a teaching approach based on the model of deliberative communication provides an appropriate means of increasing moral consciousness of professional responsibility. Students may gain greater ability tosee and critically examine the moral and societal implications of their future professional responsibility if issues of professional responsibility are linked to the societal frameworks in which professionals are to operate.